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Stranded Munster's COVID nightmare worsens

By Paul Smith
Munster face further COVID problems according to reports (PA)

Munster’s COVID-19 nightmare has worsened with nine further players confirmed to have tested positive.

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Their departure from South Africa was delayed after one of their players returned a positive test on Sunday while a second member of the group was identified as a close contact.

Hopes were then raised when Ireland’s Minister for Sport, Jack Chambers, revealed that the remainder of the touring party had been given the all-clear to return home provided further tests proved negative.

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However, a second round of PCR testing done on Monday has produced nine additional positives among the 48-strong group of players and support staff with the majority of the remainder identified as close contacts.

The province’s website carries the following statement.

“Munster’s latest round of PCR testing has identified nine positive cases.

“The group, including staff and players, will move to the designated quarantine hotel in Cape Town, joining the first player who tested positive on Sunday.

“The remaining party of 38 have all returned negative results and continue to individually isolate in their rooms where they have been based since Sunday night.

“As outlined by the Irish government on Monday, those that have received negative results have clearance to travel from the South African authorities.

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“In taking every precaution, the touring party have completed another round of PCR testing this morning, the third in less that 60 hours, and will wait on results ahead of next steps.

“The 10 members of the group who have tested positive will remain in Cape Town until the end of their isolation period. While the individuals were disappointed on receiving the news, they are thankfully well and will continue to be monitored medically at this time.

“We understand this is a challenging situation and would like to thank families, friends, colleagues and our rugby community for the many messages of best wishes.”

Along with fellow URC sides Cardiff, Scarlets and Zebre the Thomond Park outfit arrived in South Africa two weeks ago only for concerns surrounding the new Omicron variant to subsequently see matches postponed.

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Munster then moved from their Pretoria base to the Western Cape from where they intended to join the other three clubs on a Sunday flight to Dublin before the positive tests intervened.

Cardiff have faced similar issues following positive tests and as a result both clubs are isolating in hotel rooms.
Meanwhile, Scarlets and Zebre made it to Dublin, with the Welsh side now isolating at a hotel in Belfast while the Italian outfit are now back in Parma.

This has thrown uncertainty over the opening round of Heineken Champions Cup action, due to take place on December 11 and 12, when Munster are due to face Wasps in Coventry.

It now seems increasingly likely that Munster will field a makeshift team against the English Premiership club with a group of academy players being joined by their group of big-name internationals who sat out the South Africa trip following their involvement in the Autumn International Series.

This would include the likes of Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Keith Earls, Tadhg Beirne, Damian de Allende, Andrew Conway and Joey Carbery. Munster have reported that Academy Manager Ian Costello – who recently rejoined from Wasps – is overseeing training for this group.

With six props and four hookers currently holed up in Cape Town there are also safety considerations for Munster who could be forced to draft in loan players to fill gaps. In addition, having last played a game on October 23, match fitness is also a potential issue.

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J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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